My new grinder set up consists of a Daiwa BG8000 spooled with 550m 80lb backing braid, 300m 50lb braid and 150lb braid leader. This is paired with an Okuma Makaira 14'6".

I am going to the Transkei soon and I have been told that my rod and braid combo has no "give" whatsoever and I will be pulled off the rocks into the ocean even if I fish with a relatively loose drag. To prevent this I have to add 1m of mono shock leader.

The question is does just 1m of mono leader have such an effect?

Any advice would be appreciated as I am a bit scared and thinking of only using my grinder set up off the surf.

Myself and plenty other anglers use a braid leader with no mono attachments. Trace goes directly to the braid leader. Big fish, small fish it doesn't matter. Set your drag right and you'll be fine. This set up is not in the least bit forgiving and is extremely direct so you'll have a good workout with a big fish on. If you aren't comfortable with this, maybe try a tappered mono leader

I have no experience in this but heard that you can get spooled easier fishing straight braid than say mono topshot...braid cuts and slices through the water whilst mono drags through the water which aids in tiring the fish...

sakn wrote:
and I have been told that my rod and braid combo has no "give" whatsoever and I will be pulled off the rocks into the ocean even if I fish with a relatively loose drag.

Now go tell that person you've been told otherwise ...

Set your drag to 3kg, ask the story teller to hold the rod, and then you pull the line, unless it's a small child I'm sure the teller will be able to withstand the 3-4kg of drag without getting pulled off his feet

I fished braid only on a Stradic 8000 and a Spheros 12000 off Brighton Pier for sharks, and hooked into a few around the 80-100kg range without ever going swimming. Have to add that I'm not known for willingly giving away line so the drag was set pretty tight, and I'm not some super strong human being.

Set it to what you can withstand and you will be fine
200m of mono on top will save your back though ... with braid only it's man against Apex Predator, with nothing inbetween

I fish with a BG6500 and 40lb braid with a 120lb braid leader with no mono.

According to me the only reason you would need a piece of mono attached to your leader is to provide a slight shock resistance when casting.

I used to fish with about 5m of of .80 mono as leader and then changed to straight braid. In the beginning it was a bit of a strange feeling to get the timing right when casting but you get used to it quickly.

I have landed a 80kg bronzie and it didnt feel any different as to when I had mono for leader.

I used to use a 2m mono shock leader attached to a braid leader because I found out that when I hooked onto big sharks, the braid leader wrapped around the body and it snapped because it had no stretch. Now with the stronger braid leaders 180 pound plus, I fish without the shock leader as the leader don't snap when wrapped around the sharks body.

Here is an ASFN video where Dean puts 1050m of 48lb braid on a BG8000:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3IyXFU8MQs
Cant comment on line caps but the daiwa 8000 should be somewhere up there with a shimano 20000 size...

sakn wrote:My new grinder set up consists of a Daiwa BG8000 spooled with 550m 80lb backing braid, 300m 50lb braid and 150lb braid leader. This is paired with an Okuma Makaira 14'6".

I am going to the Transkei soon and I have been told that my rod and braid combo has no "give" whatsoever and I will be pulled off the rocks into the ocean even if I fish with a relatively loose drag. To prevent this I have to add 1m of mono shock leader.

The question is does just 1m of mono leader have such an effect?

Any advice would be appreciated as I am a bit scared and thinking of only using my grinder set up off the surf.

Sakn, you aren't a stranger to the sport. Your gear alone tells the story.
You are aware that the braid alone is very direct and has no stretch.
One (1mtr) of Monofilament is going to make zero difference to your overall rig.
Monofilament tapered leader will not effect overall hardness or stiffness of the total rig.

Neil G has hit it on the head, you may want to add some mono to the braid topshot to allow you some overall give, when the fish runs you 500-800mtrs off the rocks at MZeppa.

You best pm Dave Batista, Enigma as well as Occie or Neville who have had some big experiences with grey giants off Mazeppa Point, and see what lines they have utilised on their reels chasing large Greys.

Please forgive me if my query seemed silly. Until now I have been using multipliers for virtually all my fishing. This is my first venture into modern grinder fishing with bait. I want to learn as much as possible.

braid is direct and tires fish quicker, although it does have 1-2% stretch (tie your braid to a towbar walk 50m lock the drag and attempt ro pop it, ypou will be able to walk at least 1-2m) fight the fish with drag, let the rod tip assist in to allow "give".

nylon is much better in the rocks than braid, maybe one day well get 400lb braid leader.

subaruseun wrote:braid is direct and tires fish quicker, although it does have 1-2% stretch (tie your braid to a towbar walk 50m lock the drag and attempt ro pop it, ypou will be able to walk at least 1-2m) fight the fish with drag, let the rod tip assist in to allow "give".

nylon is much better in the rocks than braid, maybe one day well get 400lb braid leader.

What was your setup to catch that monster black ray (the 183kg as per your profile?)